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Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Small-Business Leaders Meet in Washington

Lauren Covello

FOXBusiness

Small-business leaders across the nation gathered on Capitol Hill Tuesday to discuss the state of the economy and its impact on the small-business community.

The open forum, formally titled “The State of the Small Business Economy and Identifying Policies to Promote an Economic Recovery”, was hosted by the House Committee on Small Business led by Chairwoman Nydia M. Velázquez.

Witnesses include Ted Allison, president and CEO of the St. Joseph Area Chamber of Commerce in Missouri; Tim Ehmann, senior project manager at O’Connell Electric in Victor, New York; Steve L. Massie, chief executive of Jack L. Massie Contractor, Inc; Robert W. Therrien, Jr., president of The Melanson Co., Inc. in Keene, N.H.; Margot Dorfman, founder and CEO of the U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce; Paul Merski, senior vice president and chief economist of the Independent Community Bankers Association; Alan Roth, senior vice president of US Telecom, and Grant Seiffert, president of TIA.

The House Committee on Small Business has convened a number of times over the past few months to explore the struggles faced by small-business owners. A November 20 hearing resulted in action by the Federal Reserve and Treasury Department to create a new lending facility to aid the small business finance markets.